Forest Resources - PhD

The Warnell School promotes the development of scientists and professional resource managers capable of solving natural resource problems through understanding and application of biological, economic, environmental, social, and analytical principles.  Graduate students in Warnell are expected to be creative scholars and to develop the ability to fill positions of leadership in research, education, and management. 

To prepare leaders in the conservation and sustainable management of forests and other natural resources; to discover ways to restore and better use the earth’s natural resources; and to put into practice forestry and natural resources knowledge.

The PhD degree is frequently required for research and staff specialist positions, and is nearly always required for university faculty positions. The PhD is often regarded as a degree of specialized education within a relatively narrow field of expertise. The PhD requires a dissertation and a minimum of 30 hours of consecutive course work, at least 16 hours of which must be in courses open to graduate students only. As a requirement of residency, at least two consecutive semesters of full-time coursework or the equivalent must be spent in resident study on this campus (i.e., enrollment for a minimum of 30 hours of consecutive course work included on the Program of Study).

In almost all cases, a Master’s degree is required for admission to the PhD program. However, a student with an extraordinary baccalaureate record or a terminal, professional Master’s degree (e.g., MFR) may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee for admission to the doctoral program.